愛の行方
by murasacchibara
Summary: "Love doesn't exist. There's no such thing as love. Therefore there's no sorrow." ― one shot, spoilers from Devilman Crybaby; Ryo/Akira; Ryo-centric. Cover image by Dazaitxt


**Disclaimer:** Devilman is Go Nagai's work, and Devilman Crybaby is Science Saru's and Netflix's show.

 **Warnings:** Spoilers for Devilman Crybaby, incoherent plot, and many other imperfections.

* * *

愛の行方

 _Whereabouts of Love_

.

.

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He doesn't remember anything.

What happened to him, who is he, or why he's lying down on a harbor in a small village. One thing he knows is a young black-haired boy standing in front of him, helping him stand and then hugs him tightly.

"It's alright. Don't be scared," said the black-haired boy. Even he said "Don't be scared" many times, he can't stop shaking from holding his tears. Meanwhile, he just stares at the boy blankly, doesn't understand.

And what he remembers is the boy's name was Akira.

* * *

That kitten won't survive.

"There's nothing we can do, it will surely die," he said, staring at the ragged kitten which lays in the cardboard.

"No! Don't!"

"That kitten will die. Give it to me!" A cutter unsheathed in his arm means to end the kitten's life—and suffering, but Akira won't hand it to him.

"No! I don't want to!"

"I will kill it!" Just a bit more, he's ready to stab that helpless kitten with the cutter, but Akira's still on his ground.

"No, stop!" shouted Akira, hugging the cardboard tightly.

Seeing Akira's act, he gritted his teeth. "Damn. Why?" asked him, seeing his reflection on the cutter's blades.

* * *

From the door's glass, he sees Akira who is running through the rain, bringing a plate, a bottle of milk and an umbrella. He knows Akira went to the place they left the kitten. Silently he follows Akira.

On the harbor, Akira sits beside the kitten inside the cardboard, shading it with an umbrella. Akira cries, sobbing. The milk he brought earlier is now spilled on the ground.

He shades Akira with an umbrella he brought from behind, letting himself drenched with rain. "Why are you crying? You know that kitten will die," said he.

"You're wrong," Akira replied behind his cry.

"The weak ones will die."

"No! No! No! Ryo-chan, you're crying too."

Akira's words confuse him. "Why? I don't feel sad."

"Ryo-chan, you're crying too!"

He doesn't understand. He doesn't feel sad at all. There are no tears coming out from his eyes. What does it mean?

* * *

Ten years have passed.

He sees Akira standing on a boat bound to the dock, staring at the hip-hop gang who is blocking a girl—Akira's childhood friend, Miki Makimura.

"Akira!"

Akira looks upside. "Ryo-chan!" Akira runs to the harbor's stairs, walking toward him and hugs him tightly. There's a warm feeling in his chest.

"Akira, come with me," said he.

"Akira, who is he!?" asked Miki suspicious—staring at the gun which he held.

Akira looks at her. "He's Ryo Asuka, my old friend! Although we're the same age, He's a professor in America!" answered Akira.

"Come, Akira." He and Akira get inside the car, while Akira just nods and follow as he said. The car drives away, leaving Miki who is calling for Akira's name.

* * *

Demon. Savage creatures that blend with humans and eat them. He's looking for them now, intending to eradicate them.

He and Akira arrived at an old building, believed by many as the place of an underground illegal party called Sabbath. He believes that demons gather in that party.

"I'm sorry for involving you in this thing, Akira," said he, "I want to reveal the demon with you together. But there's a great risk doing it. You may get eaten by the demons or turn into them."

"Ryo-chan, why me?" Akira looks at him confusedly.

Why?

Why must Akira? Even he does not know the answer.

"I want to know the truth. I want to tell it to you before I tell it to anyone else." He holds both of Akira's shoulders. "You're the only one I trust, Akira. I need your help. We will tell the truth to people."

No, no, that's not the reason.

"Alright then, Ryo-chan! I will trust you too."

"If that so, let's prove the truth, Akira." Although he said that, questions still filled his head; why must Akira who come with him.

* * *

Blood is everywhere. He intentionally stabbed the people on the party to trigger demon's appearance. Now he takes out a camcorder fro his coat and starts recording.

"Amon, now is your chance, posses Akira!"

Wait—who is Amon? Why does he order this person called Amon to posses Akira?

"Ryo-chan!" Akira shouted from the distance, running toward him who is intercepted by a demon—but Akira doesn't notice that there's another demon behind him, going to eat him.

"Aaaaaah!"

A flash of light blasted inside the room. Akira blocks the demon's mouth—now he looks fiercer, unlike a normal human. He then rips the demon apart into two parts and turns into a demon with big black wings, with a pair of horns and tail. Akira then leaps into other demons, killing them.

He only can stares at his childhood friend amazedly. "I've... made Akira into a demon."

* * *

He was sitting on the bed when the door opened, and he sees Akira walking toward him.

"How luxurious. Are you sure it's a hospital?" Akira laughed. "How are you? Are you okay? Good grief, Ryo. I'm glad you survived," said Akira while giving him a hug.

"Sorry for involving you in this," said he.

Akira stares at his new body—bigger and stronger from his old one, although he doesn't know why he can change. "Ryo, this body... what happened?"

"You killed the demons in the party and saved people."

"Is that so?" asks Akira. "So my transformation is not in vain?"

He stares back at Akira. "Of course. Now you have a fighting power of a demon but you still have the heart of a human."

Akira silences then clench both of his fists. "If I turned into a demon fully, I want you to kill me, Ryo."

"Don't say that. I will protect you, Akira. No matter what happens."

Why?

Why did he say that?

Because Akira is his childhood friend and the person who accompanied him like his own family—no, not that.

He still does not know the answer.

* * *

Akira now finds the demons who killed the priest of a shrine near his house. He ripped, shredded and bit them until nothing left.

"Akira! Stop it, Akira!" he shouted. "We've been caught. There's someone who recorded us—he recorded your transformation too!" Akira immediately stopped.

"I've been caught," said Akira.

"Don't worry. I'll get that record back." He pulled Akira's head to his shoulder, caressing it gently. "I will protect you, Akira."

He really wants to protect Akira. Even if he does not know the answer, he knew he wants to.

* * *

Now he remembers everything—that he's not a boy named Ryo Asuka, but the strongest demon known with the name of Satan. Now he knows why he turned himself into a human boy—to discover human's weakness, and his true intention to destroy humans.

...but why he turned Akira who was formerly human into a half-demon if he wanted humans to perish?

"Ryo!"

Akira in his demon form flies toward him, ready to attack. He stares back at Akira, lifting his hand and formed a shield. "Akira, are you sure you're going to fight me?" asked he.

Akira destroyed the shield and lied a punch on his face, replied with a beam of light shot to Akira's direction. The fight was inevitable, the earth is shaken as they strike at one another. Some of their attacks even crushed the earth's parts.

Akira's punch again landed on his face, making him thrown away across the earth's surface. When Akira's ready to attack again, he dashed and shot a beam of light, and everything becomes white.

* * *

Earth has been destroyed. He and Akira are lying down on a big rock from their battle's remains, staring at the starry sky. "You can see the stars clearly because humans are dead now," he said. Akira just silences.

He remembers the kitten in their childhood. "Back then, I didn't know what you meant," he said, eyes fixated on the stars. "Love doesn't exist. There is no such thing as love. Therefore there's no sorrow." A shooting star passed them. "That's what I thought." Again, Akira did not answer. Akira's eyes only stared at the sky blankly.

Slowly he gets up. "Akira, why am I the only one talking?" he asked, looking at Akira who is now lifelessly lying down, without a lower body.

He widened his eyes. "Akira?" He tries to touch Akira's face, but his hand trembles. There is no warmth left on Akira's body. His chest feels hurt. Really hurt.

"Akira, right now, I'm feeling something. What is this?" asked he as he holds his chest. Tightness felt in his chest. He can't breathe as if something strangled him. Transparent liquid slowly flows down from his eyes, drips on the boy's body who was used to be his friend—someone who he fell in love without realizing.

"Tell me, Akira. What is this?" No answer.

"Feel what I'm feeling right now. Listen to me."

His efforts are in vain because the person he's talking to already gone forever. Like everyone said, regret only comes after everything have happened.

"Look at me, Akira. Answer me."

With trembling hands, he lifts Akira's body and embraces it tightly. He starts to sob.

"Don't forget that you've been with me now." He can't hold his tears anymore. "Say something, Akira. Don't leave me alone. Don't leave me."

Even the strongest demon can't do anything but cry.

"Say something!"

Earth has been destroyed. Lights descend from the sky, a sign of God starting a new cycle of life.

"Akira!"

He sat down alone. He's indeed successfully fulfilled his intention to eradicate human, but now he has nothing. Now he lost everything.

The strongest demon now regretted that he didn't notice the feeling human called love from long ago.

And what's remains there is nothing.

E N D

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Hello there! Firstly I want to thank you if you read this fanfiction until the end! Secondly, I'm sorry if there are not many feelings poured into this fanfiction. It's been a while since I wrote fanfiction, and I think my skill becomes dull lol. Aaand I'm sorry if there is any grammatical error in this fanfiction. I'm not a native English speaker and English is not my first language, I'm still learning.

Well then, that's all from me. Thank you for reading!

Regards, murasacchibara.


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